


Checkmate

by Loyce (Foehn_Gale)



Category: Bleach
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 19:15:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29971062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Foehn_Gale/pseuds/Loyce
Summary: Drabble Request from August 2005
Relationships: Ise Nanao/Kyouraku Shunsui
Kudos: 5





	Checkmate

Her enemy was intelligent and had her trapped with very little means of escape. There wasn’t much of a chance for survival at this point. She could slip away from the battle without too many wounds. After looking over the field, she made her move.

It proved to fatal.

“Checkmate.”

“Again?” Nanao adjusted her glasses and studied the chessboard. Where had she made her error in judgment? Had it been with the opening gambit or with some simple pawn that had been moved too quickly? Though she was the picture of a tranquil sea, her insides were a jostled mess of disbelief.

This wasn’t the first time the blonde woman across the table from her had defeated her in chess. Right now, Rangiku was tapping the top of the black piece that had trapped her king.

“You’re a sore loser, Nanao. Just admit defeat and put another tally under my name in that book of yours.”

“I’m not a sore loser. I just don’t like being beaten.” Under her friend’s questioning stare, she  
caved. “All right, so I’m a sore loser. But this better not go beyond this table.”

“Afraid that your reputation will be shredded if people found out that I beat you in a game of chess?”

“It’s more than just a game of chess.” Nanao checked the scorecard she kept tucked away in her book. “That makes sixteen games you’ve beaten me in out of twenty-seven.”

Rangiku tossed her hair and laughed. “Do you honestly think anyone is going to believe that I could defeat you in chess? I hardly think so.”

“You don’t give yourself enough credit, Rangiku.”

“No, I give myself just enough.”

The sorrow in her friend’s voice tugged at the heart strings that numerous people didn’t think she had. It was hard to see her once flirtatious friend reduced to a melancholy lady. Not sure what to say, Nanao started to collect the captured pieces and reset the board.

“Are you up for another game?”

“I wish I could, but if I don’t get back to the office, ‘little’ Hitsugaya will have my head for being late… again.”

“I don’t think Captain Hitsugaya appreciates you calling him ‘little’ all the time.”

“Oh, he doesn’t.” Rangiku climbed from her chair and arched her back. “But I get such a kick out of his reaction. He gets all flustered, and his eyes turn this deep sea green, but the best part is when he says my name through gritted teeth while I’m ruffling his hair. Just like a big sister.”

“You’re hopeless.”

“So, I’ve been told. You’ll just have to wait for another day to best me.” With a mock salute, Rangiku strolled out of the room. Alone, Nanao looked at the chess board and sighed. There weren’t too many people in the Soul Society that posed as any sort of a challenge. Those that did were often too busy in their duties to take up a quick game.

Her hand brushed up against one of the pieces, causing it to fall off the table and tumble across the floor. It was when it stopped with a muted thud that she realized she wasn’t alone. How she had missed his energy, she wasn’t quite sure, but now that she had noticed, Nanao suppressed the shudder that threatened to inch up her spine. There was only one person that could make her skin crawl.

Ichimaru Gin.

“It appears you’ve misplaced your knight.”

She watched as he twirled the white piece between his fingers. His face was its normal mask; his eyes narrowed, and the corners of his mouth pulled into a tight, fake smile. As much as she wanted to recoil from him, she refused to show Gin how much he affected her.

“Chess.” There was something about his calm tone that set her on edge- and the defensive. “I didn’t know you were into playing war games, Nanao.”

“This is hardly a war game. It’s a test of intelligence. No blood is spilled, and there’s no loss of life.”

“Hmm… Funny you should say that.” Gin took a few steps deeper into the room, and it felt like the walls were closing in around her. “I’ve never seen you dirty your hands on the battlefield. You always stand back and let your Captain handle the affairs of your division. If you were my Vice-Captain…”

“But I’m not your Vice-Captain.”

“No. You’re not.” His eyes widened slightly, and the shift in his smile made her back up, and she bumped against the table. “There’s only one time that I’d allow a woman to work underneath me. They are frail creatures, with limited intelligence…”

“I do believe you just implied that the female species is inferior to the male. I wouldn’t underestimate women if I were you, Captain Ichimaru.”

“Oh, I’m not underestimating them. They prove to be useful,” he paused, “from time to time.”

Anger spread through her like a wildfire. He directed the veiled comment at her friend, who wasn’t around to defend herself, so Nanao felt her hand clench- and it started to burn. In her past, there were only a few times that she’d ever called upon her power. A faint blue light at her side caught Gin’s attention, and his eyebrows rose.

“There you are, Nanao-chan. You know better than to keep me waiting.”

Her captain’s sing-songy tone drifted into the room from the doorway. Gin shuffled to the side and tossed his head back to view the intruder. Shunsui kept his eyes hidden under the wide brim of his hat. It was a sure sign that his mood was dark. He’d always warned her to stay clear of the 3rd Division Captain, but that didn’t protect her for times when he sought her out.

As much as she wanted to relax now that Shunsui was present, she kept her guard up. A silver-tongued snake still slithered too close for comfort. “I can assure you, Sir; it will never happen again.”

“Ah, Captain,” Gin started, his creepy smile back in place before he gave her his back. “I didn’t know that white knights were prone to wearing pink.”

“It brings out our eyes.”

“So, have you come to rescue the damsel in distress?”

“The woman behind you might be a beautiful damsel, but she’s hardly in need of my help.”

Shunsui adjusted his hat and moved around Gin, his eyes focused on her with each step he took. For the first time since the Captain of the 3rd Division stepped into the room, Nanao took an easy breath. He took her hands in his, and warmth seeped into her, forcing the chill from the space around them. He turned them over, inspecting them for something she couldn’t see- but knew he had a reason for his blatant actions.

“Beware of these delicate hands,” Shunsui squeezed her hands and smiled. His grip relaxed, but he didn’t release his hold on her. “Though they look small and harmless, they contain enough power to make some soul slayers jealous.”

The room was silent for a moment before Gin’s sinister chuckle pierced the air. “I do say; the  
knight and his queen make a formidable pair. No king would stand a chance against the two of them. Well, since you don’t seem to be in a mood for a game, Nanao, I’ll take my leave.”

It was a meaningful action, but after all of the tension in the room followed Gin out, Nanao leaned against Shunsui. Each breath came easier than the last until her heartbeat had returned to normal. She was the picture of cool and calm, but when she tried to pull away to straighten her appearance, her captain held her close.

She swatted at his hand and growled, but he laughed off her attempts to get him to let go. Shunsui tucked her chin between his thumb and finger and tilted her head toward him. The dark mood was gone, and the prankster was back in his place. He adjusted her glasses and nipped the end of her nose with his finger.

“I do believe that was checkmate. Wouldn’t you agree, Nanao-chan?”


End file.
